With a vivid visual memory and oil colours in various earthy shades, Thai artist Sudrak Khongpuang approaches her canvas, intent on creating the lush landscape that has brought her happiness since childhood.

She devoted the first six years of her career to discovering the medium and content that she produces now: surreal displays of nature with a vibrancy and attentiveness akin to viewing the world with young eyes.

But she visits California from Thailand for a residency and exhibition with South Bay Contemporary SoLA Gallery to explore her skills, adopt new concepts, and, of course, acquire more memories to tap for inspiration.

“Both Ben [Zask] and I work with found objects in order to not consume so much,” said Peggy Sivert Zask, South Bay Contemporary SoLA Gallery executive director. “Sudrak has been influenced by that attitude, so rather than do sculpture, since she’s a painter, she’s taking found objects and painting on them, dimensionalizing the format she’s painting on.”

“A Tale of Two Shores: Residency and Exhibition” will express the connections and differences between Thailand and California, namely those that unite and separate them in nature. Khongpuang seeks discovery and practice in conveying LA’s arid landscape of blue and brown, a stark contrast to tropical green and yellow treetops in her work of Thailand.

In her temporary studio at Zask Studios in Portuguese Bend, Khongpuang has the rear casing of a guitar, front and back of a cello, a galvanized washboard, and a charcoal fire starter lined up for projects. On a painted canvas, a bird of paradise flower is set against a cloudy sky outlined in black, with deep blue lines running over the petals.

Khongpuang holds a small wooden frame against the right corner with smooth beach stones inside showing how the piece will develop as she works. The story captured in this piece, she explains, originated from passing abundant birds of paradise flowers on a path to tide pools in Rancho Palos Verdes, where she observed seagulls on ocean shore rocks.

“I think an artist is a narrator,” said Khongpuang. “I want to get everything I meet every day, every impression I feel in my heart, and I want to express it through my art. Artists need to feel in themselves and their artwork in order to show it to other people.”

Khongpuang feels happiness when surrounded by nature, which she paints in hopes her audience will also feel happiness. Her simple unadulterated depictions of trees and bodies of water are juxtaposed to recent trends in competitive American art of expressive angst and rebellion.

She maintains a disciplined focus on capturing joy through her artwork and attributes this guidance to her late father. Through the residency, she has implemented her surroundings and practices merging her feeling with the different elements, never losing sight of optimism while straying from her comfort zone.

Khongpuang will continue her residency at Portuguese Bend and will begin work at South Bay Contemporary SoLA Gallery (3718 W. Slauson Ave., Los Angeles) beginning Feb. 8. Once at SoLA Gallery, guests are welcome to visit and observe the artist at work Thursday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A reception for the exhibition will be held Feb. 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the gallery. Beforehand, guests are welcome to visit Khongpuang by appointment at Zask Studios Sundays-Wednesdays.

Sivert Zask aims to host an interstate or international month-long artist-in-residence every two years at the gallery commonly referred to as SBC SoLA. The experience is consistent with the nonprofit’s education mission and is designed for a dedicated, midcareer artist with a thorough portfolio and strong professional recommendation.

For more information, call Zask Studios at 310-429-0973 or visit southbaycontemporary.org, or drop by the studio at 96 Peppertree Drive in Rancho Palos Verdes.